chapter Thirty-Three
Schuyler
nce upon a time, before Schuyler had discovered she was different, that she was a vampire, that she would have to continue what her mother had started, she had been a regular girl at a competitive and elite private school in Manhattan. And as a student of the Duchesne School, she was expected to attend a prestigious college. Her mother had attended Harvard, and her father Stanford, but Schuyler had been drawn to the smaller schools - the urban schools - the "flowerpot" Ivies - Brown, Columbia, as well as the "brainiac" schools like the University of Chicago.
In another life, she and Oliver could have been these students, she thought, looking around at the young people. Their only anxieties were over exams and dating.
Getting to Chicago had been easy enough, but Schuyler had no idea what to do once they arrived. She supposed she could have sent Finn Chase a friend request on Facebook and asked to meet up, but it seemed so awkward. What was she supposed to say? "I'm the long-lost daughter of the father who died when you were a baby and before I was born. Sorry to spring it on you like this. Let's hang out!"
"Are we just going to show up on her doorstep?" Oliver asked.
"I would if I knew where her doorstep was," Schuyler said. "This place is enormous, though."
The campus was spread out over several city blocks, and it seemed impossible that they would be able to find her. "Did you check to see if there was an address on Facebook? Any references to what dorm she lives in?" Oliver asked.
"I read every post I could find, but there was nothing about where she lived. On campus, that's all I know. She's probably careful not to reveal where; too many stalkers these days."
"What about finding her after class? What's she studying?"
Trust Oliver to always come up with something useful. "She's an art major," Schuyler told him. "There was something about how Finn had gotten all of her requirements out of the way and could now spend her time doing what she loved."
"That means most of her classes are probably in the same building," Oliver pointed out. "If we go there, someone might be able to help us find her. We might even run into her, like the crazy stalkers we are."
"Such a good idea!" Schuyler checked her phone to see where visual art classes were held. "Looks like most of them are in the Arts Center, on South Greenwood. That's just a few blocks from here."
It didn't take them long to arrive at the squat, rectangular concrete building. "Not very attractive for a building devoted to art," Oliver sniffed.
"It's what's inside that counts," Schuyler said.
They looked at each other, took deep breaths, and entered the building. Schuyler had been hoping there would be some sort of secretary they could ask right away, but the lobby was empty. They must have come during class time.
"The administrative offices are this way." Oliver pointed.
The office was buzzing with activity, in contrast to the lobby. Student interns wandered around the suite, making copies and filing paperwork. The receptionist was filing her very long nails when Schuyler approached the desk. "You're looking for who? Is she expecting you?"
"Not exactly," Schuyler said.
"And you are...?"
"Her sister."
"Is there some sort of family emergency?"
Schuyler debated whether to lie, then opted against it. "No, I was just hoping to find her. Is there any chance you could tell me where she is? What classroom she's in? I'm not looking for her home address or anything like that." Though I'd take it if you gave it to me, she thought.
"Can't do that," the receptionist said. "FERPA violation."
"FERPA?"
"Privacy. I know your generation doesn't have much use for it anymore, but it's still the law."
"Well, thank you for your help." Schuyler couldn't help but let the sarcasm creep into her voice.
The woman gave her a look and then returned to filing her nails.
Schuyler walked out of the office, dejected.
"What about the glom?" Oliver asked. "Just make her tell you."
"I thought about it, but it seemed wrong somehow," she said. "We'll figure something out."
"Excuse me?" a voice said.
They turned around to see a petite girl with dark curly hair standing behind them. "Sorry to be nosy, but I couldn't help overhearing you in there. You're looking for Finn Chase?"
"We are," Schuyler said eagerly.
"You're her sister? She's a pretty good friend of mine, and I don't remember her having any siblings."
"She doesn't know about me," Schuyler admitted. "Actually, I only just found out about her."
The girl's dark eyes sparkled. "How exciting and mysterious!" She held out her hand. "I'm Ivy. I totally know her schedule. Can I introduce you guys? Please?"
Is she kidding? Of course she can! "I'm Schuyler, and this is my friend Oliver. We'd love it if you'd help us out."
"Awesome," Ivy said. "Are you two, like, a thing? Are you a potential brother-in-law or something?"
Was she asking out of curiosity, or because she thought Oliver was cute? It didn't matter, Schuyler figured, as long as she'd help them. And if Oliver needed to flirt to get what they needed, then he'd better get cracking.
"I'm quite single," he said. "Schuyler's like a sister to me."
Schuyler breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps not quite accurate, but it would do the job.
"Class is almost over," Ivy said. "She's taking a grad class on Kandinsky. Such an overachiever." She rolled her eyes.
Well, they had Kandinsky in common, Schuyler thought. Finn's taste must have been influenced by Decca. And Ben, of course. She remembered that he'd been some sort of artist.
"We'll catch her on the way out. Come on."
Oliver and Schuyler followed Ivy down a long corridor to a seminar room. Through a window in the door, Schuyler could see a group of students sitting around a table. They were arguing animatedly, and she felt a pang of jealousy at the thought of Finn as a normal college student, passionate about art, oblivious to the fact that the world might be a horrible and dangerous place, where your love could be ripped away from you.
"Sky? You with us?" Oliver asked.
"Just watching," she said.
The students began packing up their books and heading toward the door. Schuyler jumped back and wondered why she felt as if she needed to hide. Nervous about meeting her sister, she supposed.
A tall blond girl with her hair in a ponytail, her face framed by a pair of severe black eyeglasses, left the room. Schuyler had expected Finn to look sporty, somehow, from the photos of her on the ski slopes and the tennis courts; and while the girl certainly had an athletic gracefulness about her, she carried herself with a serious mien. Finn Chase, Schuyler realized, was a bit of a nerd. A cool nerd, of course - a hipster with her vintage glasses and the polyester blouse and the bell-bottom jeans - but a nerd nonetheless.
Ivy stood by the door and grabbed Finn's arm as soon as she exited the room. "I have the craziest thing to tell you," she said.
Finn rolled her eyes. "Crazier than the time you said your calculus tutor was hitting on you, except he just had a spastic eyelid? Crazier than the time you thought we all had bedbugs because you actually had poison oak from rolling around in the bushes with that random freshman? Crazier than - "
"Okay, I get it, enough already," Ivy said. "Yes, crazier than all of that. Legit crazy." She dragged Finn over to where Schuyler and Oliver were waiting. "Finn, meet Schuyler. Schuyler, this is Finn. Also, this is Oliver. And they're totally not dating."
Finn gave Ivy the kind of look Schuyler suspected she'd given her many, many times before, then turned and smiled at Schuyler and Oliver. "Nice to meet you," she said politely. "What's this all about?"
"GUESS!" Ivy was bursting with excitement. She practically bounced up and down, trying to drag out the moment. "You'll never guess!"
Enough already, Schuyler thought, ready to interrupt. Finally, Ivy squealed, "She's your sister!"
Finn frowned. Uh-oh. "Don't be ridiculous," she said. "I don't have a sister. Or a brother. Or any siblings. Who are you guys, really?"
"She's not kidding," Schuyler said. "I know it sounds crazy, but I actually am your sister. I just found out a few days ago. Ben was my dad too. He was married to my mother but he died before I was born."
"You're kidding," said Finn, shocked.
"She isn't," Oliver said. "Not even a little bit."
"But I thought - and he and my mom never even - are we the same age? I'm so confused."
"I think you're maybe two years older than I am," Schuyler said. "It's kind of a long story. If you want to hear it." She still couldn't tell. Finn was looking at her with such skepticism, and Schuyler was struck by how much she looked exactly like Decca - wary, guarded, reserved - that she was prepared to be dismissed as an opportunistic crackpot.
"Um, hello?" Finn asked. "Of course I want to hear it!" She broke out into a broad smile. The one Schuyler recognized from the photographs of her father on the mantel. Ben Chase's dazzling, generous, light-filled smile. "Come to my dorm and tell me everything!"